State funeral offered for 'Golden Girl' Betty Cuthbert

The "Golden Girl" of Australian track and field Betty Cuthbert has been offered a state funeral following her death overnight after a long battle with multiple sclerosis.

The 79-year-old, who won four athletics gold medals including three at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, lived in Mandurah near Perth for more than 20 years.

"She was a wonderful Australian, a golden girl from a golden era in Australian sport," Western Australia Premier Mark McGowan told reporters.

Tributes have flowed in for Cuthbert, with MS Research Australia CEO Mathew Miles saying her death was a huge loss for Australia.

Mr Miles said the champion track runner "went into bat" for multiple sclerosis sufferers and her contribution to MS research has been immeasurable.

Betty Cuthbert has been a longtime advocate for multiple sclerosis research. ()Betty Cuthbert is a legend of Australian track and field. ()

"We would never have been able to achieve the sort of fundraising that we have over the last 13 years without Betty Cuthbert and that, in turn, has led to some really significant Australian breakthroughs in multiple sclerosis research, undoubtedly," Mr Miles said.

"She loomed large in the genesis of MS Research Australia," Mr Miles said.

"She was a great advocate for MS and as her wonderful athletics career naturally stopped, she really did put a huge amount of energy, time and dedication to raising awareness about MS, so it's a massive loss," he told AAP.

"I think a lot of people's recognition and understanding of what multiple sclerosis was really came from knowing or having a visibility of Betty Cuthbert," he added.

While there is currently no known cure, there's been an incredible explosion in the understanding of MS as a result of recent research which has led to improved diagnosis and treatment.

Before Cuthbert was first diagnosed with MS, researchers knew "nothing" about the genetic side to the disease.

"We now know 150 genes that determine the susceptibility to MS," said Mr Miles.

"That's what research has brought us, this drastic change in how you treat MS and then directly on to that, the outlook for people with the most common form of MS," he said.

During her career, Cuthbert set new records for the 600m and 200m sprints and the 100-yard, 220-yard and 440-yard dashes.

Cuthbert went on to win gold in the 400m event at the 1954 Tokyo Olympic Games.

She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1969 and was restricted to a wheelchair in recent years. In one of her last public appearances, Cuthbert carried the Olympic torch in the stadium before the cauldron was ignited to open the Sydney 2000 Olympics.

MS is a disease of the central nervous system which eats away at the protective covering of nerves, leading to symptoms such as poor coordination and balance, fatigue, bladder incontinence and memory loss.

In Australia, MS affects over 23,000 people.

Tributes have poured in for the beloved Olympian on social media, with many describing her as an inspiration on and off the track.